INTERVIEW: Lyric Ross Talks the Joys of Playing Kat in ‘Wendell & Wild’
Wendell & Wild brings us a story of Kat Elliot (Lyric Ross) as she faces off with the demons of the world. Described as “The two devious demon brothers Wendell and Wild have to face their arch-enemy with the help of the nun Sister Helly, who is notorious for expelling demons. However, the brothers are not only plagued by her, but also by her altar boys,” the film is a fun journey for fans of Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key. But it is also a story about loss and grief.
Kat is a girl who has lost everything and she went from a happy kid with a loving family to someone who felt like they had the world on their shoulder and while we are also following along with the demon brothers, we’re in this journey of grief with Kat. Getting to speak with Lyric Ross (who voices Kat in the movie), I asked her about Kat’s journey and what drew her to the character.
“There’s a lot of colors to Kat. And some of those colors, they were built from everything that she has been through,” Ross said. “She went through foster care and juvie and all of that. And the tragic death of her parents that she had to witness at such a young age. I think it was maybe five. But, you know, just having all of those things being replayed in your head and it’s so hard to run from. And it’s so hard to just trust anybody in the world to really take care of you. So you just go straight to taking care of yourself no matter what. It was just a lot to think about and take in, something that I can’t imagine happening to myself. And with the reference of the fighting your personal demons, I think that’s what really got me. It’s such a great message. Like you have to face them in order to grow. And not many people, at least not many people that I know, do that. Because it’s not the easiest thing to do. So it was really the lesson that was that was being said in this film that really pulled me towards it.”
What’s so great about Wendell & Wild is that the movie focuses its story on Kat but we do get some powerhouse performances from iconic performers, including Angela Bassett. Knowing that they recorded the film during lockdown, I asked Ross if it was easier knowing she was in a movie with Bassett knowing she wasn’t in the same room as her or if she wished they could have been working side by side.
For Ross, she laughed and said it might have been a good thing she didn’t have to comprehend being in the same room as Angela Bassett. “I think with, you know, me trying to work that out and Angela Bassett being in the room, I dunno if I would’ve had the best result with my performance,” she joked and if that isn’t relatable, I don’t know what is.
Wendell & Wild is on Netflix now and is a fantastic movie, made brilliant by Lyric Ross’ performance!
(image: Netflix)
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
